The Cyber Bites

By DollParts7 · July 11, 2012

I turned 17 on the 9th. So, of course, I got a piercing to celebrate the joyous occasion. About two weeks before then, I inquired to my mother if I could get a labret. She, as usual, looked at me horrified and inquired the age old question of "Why?" to which I replied that it would bring me happiness. After some badgering, she finally gave in.

But I was still not satisfied. I know, I know, i should be! After all, I get a brand new, shiny piercing, glinting perfectly in the sun. However, I was not. I asked for a second piercing, this one on my tongue. Why, you ask? Well, I have a horrid habit of getting everything done in pairs. I even did my tragus in pairs (one on each ear) until the one on the left rejected. I know that it will bring a bit more pain as it's two, and the adrenaline is cut in half and you know what to expect, but I'm addicted. Every ear piercing I've ever had has been done in pairs, my nasal piercings (dragon bites) were done as two in one sitting, and, of course, how could I break the tradition? Having 15 piercings (previously 16 without the retired tragus), I knew the drill.

Still, the battle had begun. My mother is tradition as we come from a different country, namely, Moldova. It's always been a fight to get anything outside of the box, from dying my hair blond, to dying it black, to pink, to brown; from getting my second lobe piercing, to a third, to stretching, to having my cartilage pierced, to my tragus. Still, I put on my verbal boxing gloves and went to convince her that having a tongue piercing is not, in fact, the work of the devil, nor is it means for me to become a criminal or promiscuous.

However, I promptly failed. Though I fought valiantly, and my cause was noble, my mother denied, entirely unhindered by my large puppy eyes and my pouting lower lip. Upset and just a hint bratty at being denied, I sat down on the computer and did what every good junkie does: namely, look up every picture of labrets that I possibly could.

And so, upon my endless search, I came upon a woman, beautiful and memorable, with a labret and a Medusa. My interest was quickly gained and I learned that she had what was called "Cryber Bites". It is, in essence, a set of piercings on the lips, one upper and one lower. Now, I am not one to have split decisions, in fact, it took years for me to decide on getting my lip pierced in the first place! Those years were spent dissecting my face, deciding that I DID want it pierced and then the debate of "Where?". After three years of guessing and wondering, I finally settled on one just in the middle.

But the philtrum? Well, that was simply me being piercing happy. Upon asking my mother, starting slyly with a "What if I just get a second one on my lips?" to, "It'll be right here." pointing at my upper lip, she finally agreed.
That very day, on the 9th, we hopped onto a bus (as our car's only driver was off at work) and set off for Warrior Piercing. I was a bit worried, as I thought I might regret it. For the Medusa, there were no "Will it look good?" or any "What if I regret this?", instead, it was just a ball of excitement.

When I got to Warrior, I was taken completely by surprise. There was skimpy clothing in the windows and playboy magazines strewn about the place. It was relatively small, and behind the counter, a video of a woman getting a clitoral piercing was being shown.

I sent a secret prayer up that my mother would be too aghast by the clothes and reading material to notice the video of another woman's private bits having a needle inserted. I knew that she would surely drag me out of the place, white as a sheet and absolutely horrified. Thankfully, she was distracted by a woman who was at the counter and asked me what I wanted. Two other ladies were filling out forms next to me and I was getting worried that my poor mother would notice the video if someone else went before us. Thankfully, they were indecisive and I was allowed to get pierced first.

Upon telling them that I wanted a Medusa and Labret, they nodded. The man behind her asked if I wished to be pierced with a stud or a ring, to which I replied that I would like the Medusa to be done with a stud and the labret to be pierced with a hoop. He nodded, my mother filled out the paperwork, we paid, and I was sent off to the second room on the left. There was a single chair and my mother sat down, grabbing my purse and cell phone so I had my hands free.

I walked into the room, noting happily how clean and sterile it was. My piercer was a man by the name of Ren (I assume, as the two small bars of mild soap he gave me had that name written on the wrappers in black) and he did a wonderful job of easing my nerves. I asked if I could close the door, for my mother wouldn't appreciate seeing the needle through her daughters lip, and he replied with a "Sure", quickly taking off one blue glove and closing the door. I watched as he put on new glove and smiled.

Then came what I must say is the worst part: the mouthwash. He handed me a cup and asked where I spit. At his answer of "Right back in the cup." I could only, jokingly, reply "Lovely!" and downed it quickly, covering my grimace as I swished it about in my mouth, waiting until he let me spit it out. When he did, I felt the relief. It had turned my tongue blue, and he handed me a napkin so I could wipe my mouth. He wiped down my skin and started to work on marking, taking about 10 to 20 minutes for the placement to be found. He used a plain wooden stick to see the symmetry of my face, marking my lower lip first and then making a T on my upper lip. I saw with mild disappointment at how high up the placement for the Medusa was and I requested that it be put lower to which he said that he could do that.

We kept up pleasant banter as he adjusted the seat and I found myself laying down, unable to see my reflection. He told me he would do the Medusa first and I realized that that was it, no going back.

I nodded and he had me open my mouth so he could clamp it. He kept moving my face as he prepared to pierce, and he told me the proper breathing as I closed my eyes. Now, quick warning if you haven’t figured it out already: You will be all up in one another’s business. Do yourself a favor and expect this. If you are uncomfortable with stranger’s faces going up to yours, prepare yourself! I found that I alternated looking at the mask that covered his mouth and his eyes, as I’m not all that shy. If you’re not like me, you can just look at the mask, making it a bit less awkward for you. Or, you can just keep your eyes closed the entire time.

But, again, he made me feel comfortable and I still closed my eyes when he was about to pierce. His last warning before he did was that I might tear up a bit before he told me to take in a very deep breath. When I exhaled through my nose, he put the needle through, going outward in (or, from the skin to the muscle). I did, indeed, tear, though not as badly as when I had my nostril done. I opened my eyes and he cleaned up the blood. He asked me how I felt and I told him I was a champ, able to take it. He laughed and then had me open my mouth again, measuring the thickness of my lip. He settled for a ring 1/2 inch in diameter and had me breath as instructed again.

Now, the pain of the Medusa was not that bad. Can I say that it was worse than the nostril? No, for me, my nasal piercings didn't hurt as badly as the oral ones, but the pain was not horrid. I didn't clench my firsts or squish my eyes up shut in pain. It was relatively normal, comparable to just really intense pressure, a slight burning sensation, and a pinch.

The lower lip was a completely different story. He pierced this one inward out (from the muscle to the skin). I breathed as he instructed, but when the needle went through, I grabbed the armrest in pain. It was a bit more awkward. The needle passed through the muscle easily, but had some tension when it had to go through the skin. I breathed in deeply, though a bit shaky and he put the hoop in. All the while, my mouth was open. He gently eased the chair back to a sitting position when I indicated that I was okay. He told me to close my mouth, warning me of how awkward it would feel.

It did. The ring was very large and the back of the Medusa piercing hit my teeth gently. I could still speak and without any issues, really, but it was strange and unfamiliar. He gave me a new cup of mouthwash, and I found that downing it was harder than before, as the ring got in the way. Still, that was not the issue.
No, the issue was spitting out the disgusting blue liquid back into the cup. I placed it slightly closer to my chin, knowing some might go down but was surprised at how clumsy it looked. He took a napkin and cleaned up what dripped down my face and I felt a bit embarrassed.

I suppose it’s to be expected, but I still felt like a big baby. He handed me a smaller mirror (a pink playboy bunny one, if I remember correctly) after he cleaned up the purple marker he had used before the piercing. What I saw looking back at me was, honestly, wonderful. Very straight, very symmetrical. He gave me a bottle of water and a cotton candy lollipop. I smiled, thanked and tipped him, and was off.

My mother’s reaction was, expectantly, horror, but with the knowledge that I loved it, I was self assured. I got many glares and offensive looks, but I was fine with that.

It was only until I had to eat something that I found a problem. I had pizza and wings as I went to a sleepover with my friends and I ended up having to tear the meat out of the chicken with a fork and knife in order to eat it, and cutting up the pizza into pieces.

Chewing, of course, was not a problem, it was biting things off that was an issue. I ended up having to tear bits off of everything I ate, from brownies and cookies to the French fries. I still didn’t experience swelling.
However, upon waking up, I realized that my lips had swelled to epic proportions. I looked like Angelina Jolie! My lips are still swollen, but it isn’t horrid. The Medusa seems to be nesting and the labret is constantly being pushed off to the side so I can close my mouth. I find that I have to move it from side to side and that the dryness of my lips is horrid, meaning that the chapstick (100% vegan and hypoallergenic) was constantly being applied.

Washing and toweling my face was strange too, but I expected that as I had facial piercings before. Smiling was not a problem except when it was too wide, making the back of the Medusa clink up against the line of my teeth and gums almost painfully.

Would I recommend this? Yes! The piercings are beautiful and easily compliment many people’s facial shapes (almost heart shaped with flatter sides).

However, getting two done at the same time? Painful. And incredibly awkward when you want to talk, eat, laugh, ect. The pain is not excruciating but it IS noteworthy.

Overall, I’m pleased! I gargle with saltwater and clean the outside in the same manor. The mild soap I was given only got use when I realized that my friend didn’t have 100% sea salt, and I cut down some mouthwash, diluting it with 50% water.

The one gripe I have is how large the labret ring is, but with the swelling of my lip taking affect, I genuinely can’t complain.

Comments (2)

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